Harmony House breaks ground on affordable housing

Harmony House yesterday broke ground on an $8.6 million, 46-unit affordable housing development for domestic violence survivors.

The Vecino Group LLC is serving as developer for the project dubbed Talia Apartments on 1.8 acres of land donated to Harmony House by Central Bank of the Ozarks, according to information provided by Harmony House spokeswoman Jackie Langdon. The 2645 W. Delmar St. site is southeast of the Grand Street and Scenic Avenue intersection.

The project represents the first development for domestic violence survivors funded, in part, by the Missouri Housing Development Commission’s low-income housing tax credit program. The program allows developers to generate funding for special projects through credits sold to investors, according to MHDC.com.

Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, is a board member on the MHDC, which approved Harmony House for the tax credits in October.

“Today represents the first step on a long road of recovery for many families and individuals in this region looking to reclaim their lives and set out on a new path for themselves,” Zweifel said in a news release. “This development will be able to serve people in their most vulnerable moments, and the services provided by the Talia Apartments will strengthen families and this community over the long term.”

Construction is slated to wrap in fall 2017 for the apartment complex with 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units, as well as washers and dryers, a community room, computer lab, fitness center, playground, and on-site case management and support services.

Separately, Harmony House is targeting an October completion date for a new shelter at 3404 E. Ridgeview St., the site of a former Americas Best Value Inn. The development would increase the nonprofit’s shelter capacity to 160 beds from 110.